Tuesday

While its mission has not changed in the seven decades since it opened in 1946, Camp Wanake has expanded in acreage, facilities and the way it serves the community at large.

SUGAR CREEK TWP. It began with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ's 1943 purchase of Virgil Camp's 80-acre farm and apple orchard, located midway between Beach City and Brewster.

Now, more than seven decades later, Camp Wanake remains true to its charge — to be a place where children and youth can come to have an experience in Christian community.

While its mission has not changed in the seven decades since it opened in 1946, Camp Wanake has expanded in acreage, facilities and the way it serves the community at large. Camp Director Julie Lautt says the changing face of Camp Wanake has not altered its reason for being.

"The original intent ... our primary mission ... is still intact," Lautt said. "The idea is to share the gospel message and to do that with Christian role models."

While sharing the gospel message may not sound like an original idea, to do so in a primitive setting is central to the Camp Wanake experience.

"Here there are some excellent opportunities to practice that while they are swimming or hiking or cooking over an open fire," Lautt said. "Interestingly enough, that has not changed over 70 years. We are still trying to get kids outdoors in small-group, decentralized camping, where 10-to-12 children and two counselors are a family for the week. That started at the very beginning 70 years ago."

Not long after Camp Wanake opened, the Church of the United Brethren merged with the Evangelical Church to form the United Brethren Church, which merged with the Methodist Church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church. It is under the auspicies of the United Methodist Church that Camp Wanake operates today, providing Christian-camping experiences to about 1,000 summer campers a year.

There have been other changes at Camp Wanake over the years, including the expansion of the operation along the way, according to Lautt.

"The back property of another farm was purchased and in 2003, they were able to purchase an 80-acre farm that now serves as the frontage for the camp along Manchester Avenue SW," Lautt said. "They were able to purchase the farm ... and that is where we have the ranch today. We kept half of the farm property on our side of the road. They sold the other half ... . So now we have 250 acres altogether."

They also have 47 buildings to house the various ministries, and a ranch for horse riding lessons and trail rides. The ranch also serves as the site for Wanake's popular live Nativity program.

When Camp Wanake opened in 1946, the nation was still getting over World War II and summer camps were generally for youths in the fifth and sixth grades, which was the church's original intent. At that time, it was also utilized for church conferences and other adult day-long gatherings. Lautt says ministers' wives would use Camp Wanake for a retreat, but during the warm weather months only.

"It wasn't until the late-'60s to early-'70s that the main building with the dining hall and everything was insulated and heated, and cabins became heated so people could be here more of the year," Lautt explained. "We are now a year 'round retreat center."

Camp Wanake is easily accessible to western Stark County residents and draws campers from schools as far away as Medina and Wayne counties, who come for outdoor education. Lautt notes that a high school in Kent had students at Camp Wanake for a leadership development institute over the summer, while Central Catholic High Schhol annually uses the facility for its senior retreat.

A local hospice has utilized Camp Wanake often, Lautt said, adding that a number of Akron and Canton churches use it for weekend retreats.

"We'll have at least two or three groups — non-profits like churches and schools — most weekends," she said.

Camp Wanake has four public outreach events each year, including a live Nativity program next month, an Easter Egg Hunt and Camp Preview in April, a Ride-a-thon where horse riders solicit sponserships for fundraising, and a Fall Festival in late September/early October.

With all of that, Camp Wanake's staff remain true to the original mission and the children and youth they hope to serve.

"While the mission hasn't changed in 70 years, the clientele has changed dramatically," Lautt said. "We've become such an indoor and virtual technological culture, so we're taking kids out of their norm now. It used to be kids played outside. But we've really slid away from that as a culture and technology has really taken the front row. So at Camp Wanake, we've reversed that."

Lautt says there are no computers or personal devices permitted for summer campers.

"There's no Wi-Fi and kids are really learning what it means to be out in the woods," she said, "and they love it. But so many of them haven't experienced it before."

The summer camps are not set up for children and youths to come as a group. Individual children can be signed up by their parents; the camp is open to all children.

There are five full-time staff on site all year and another 15-20 kitchen workers, housekeepers, and groundskeepers to accommodate the approximately 4,000 clients who utilize the facility during the fall, winter and spring seasons.

What folks are saying about Sugar Creek Township

"The people in the community are so very supportive of us. I know of several businesses in the area that have sponsored us, so it's great to know we're all on board together. I enjoy the community. I think it's important to have a community connection and we have that here."

Tina Carr, Camp Wanake ranch manager

"I grew up here and recently moved back. It's a real tight community. Everybody knows each other. Everybody is willing to help each other. And those are the things that I value the most about being back here."

Justin Miller, site manager for Camp Wanake

"It's just a nice rural farm community. I'd raise children here. It's just a nice tight knit community. A lot of giving people in this community. A lot of mission work goes on out of this community that people don't know about."

Myron Allen, of Beach City, assistant site manager

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